Beeglue could play a crucial role in the fight against MRSA. University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland researchers have discovered that beeglue - the sticky substance found in beehives - could have natural antibacterial properties that are effective against MRSA. Beeglue has been used as a folk remedy for several ailments and is also known as propolis.

Hospital acquired MRSA has now spread to communities. Vancomycin is the usual treatment that carries serious side effects and significant cost.

Dr Veronique Seidel, a Lecturer in Natural Products Chemistry at the Institute who led the research says, "This means that there is a pressing need to discover and develop alternatives to current anti-MRSA drugs. We investigated propolis, as part of a program aimed at discovering new antibiotics from natural sources, because bees use it as an antiseptic glue to seal gaps between honeycombs and preserve their hives from microbial contamination."

Nature's Laboratory in North Yorkshire, England, a leader in propolis research and advocate of understanding the science behind natural medicine supplied propolis or beeglue to the researchers who tested the substance on 15 different strains of MRSA.

Two compounds from beeglue, Propolin C and Propolin D, were effective against all 15 of the MRSA strains. The study is the first to show that beeglue that comes from the Pacific region, also known as propolis, contains natural compounds that could fight MRSA.